Riddles bride
by Keade-katari
Summary: A new year another new defence agaisnt the dark arts teacher. Professor Terra Riddle enters Harry's life and the desperate need to find truth in her consumes him.


As they were sitting eating their first meal back the skies opened and rain pelted down like gunfire. Students unthinking covered their heads from the sudden onslaught of water then laughed at themselves as they realised that the shimmered drops that bore down on them were only reflections of the outside sky. However the teachers grew more nervous and the quick looks to the sky they all gave began to get more frequent. It was near the end of desert that finally a black speck skirted across the sky. The teachers rose and all of them rushed to the door. Students afraid to get up craned there necks to see what was happening. Some got up from their seats but no one dared to leave the tables. Finally the door burst wide open then a black figure crossed the threshold. Dripped wet the thing gave a small watery cough then splayed out the long draping black sleeves to throw the water from the thickness. Around the figure a mass of dark liquid gathered on the floor, by the dim light of the candles you could just make out the colour was red. Much to Harry's surprise it was Snape who first rushed on the mass and immediately went to the guests aid, he was shook off with a warding hand then a crude laugh followed.

"Don't be a wuss Severus!" It was a woman's voice or perhaps even girls. "It's just a scratch. Three days and it'll be healed up nicely. Just slowed me down a little. Not used to flying with a weak arm!" Again came the crude but strangely delightful laugh. The students now had calmed a little, the sight of the strange, cloaked figure had been unsettling in these dark times but now they figured it was just the new witch teacher on her broom. Ron was right it most probably was some stupid witch member of the Lockhart fan club. The girl reached up and tore off her hood revealing to the shocked students something that was not at all expected. She was most defiantly not human. Her eyes were poisonous purple like the dark infection colour of the foxglove petals, surrounding them where it should be white was harsh black giving her night eyes. Her skin was the lightest blue scarcely separable from white like the gentle blossom of the wisteria tree. Unlike normal skin it was not pigmented did not blotch or alter its shade in any way it was one sober colour. However it was the sight of the two things that hung off her back now visible with the removable of the hood that shadowed over them, folded wings black and dragon like they fluttered almost impatient to rid themselves of the water that stuck into the leathery crevasses of the wing span. Dumbledore did not filch at the surprise that sent out screams through out the crowd. He held out his arms for her coat which she nodded allowing him to take, under the black she wore clothes of her own design for they seemed made for her alone. Her right arm had no sleeve just a gap at her shoulder, the left sleeve however was long brushing the wet floor and taking into itself the rain and blood. It was blue, bolder than the colour of her skin though highlighting it. At her body her robes slung over the right shoulder attaching together with thick golden clasps. Her thin waist was wrapped about with a white robe brought in at her waist with the same golden clasp. Her hair was raven black shinning with blue and purple shades it was short at her ear except for the strands either side of her face that lolled down to her shoulders. Her hands were covered in leather fingerless gloves long black catlike nails drew from her fingertips and on her ring finger was a dragons ring. The teeth of the silver dragon bit into her skin and the wings wrapped in the band. She gave her head a quick shake and smiled girlishly, she looked about nineteen but there was maturity in her eyes. "I take it you didn't tell the students about me?" She directed her question at Dumbledore.

"What about you?" He asked back simply. "Students I would like to introduce you to...what would you liked to be called?"

"It's Ok Dumbledore my real name shall suffice, dark times call for honesty not concealment." She bowed her head solemnly and taking Snape's hand walked up to the teachers table following was a thin trail of blood. Once at the table Snape knelt down and looked at the pale blue leg and the deep gash that the table concealed from the student's eyes. Harry was close enough to hear him whispered.

"How?"

"Dragon bull didn't want me to come." She whispered as he dabbed her leg with an evil spelling potion.

"Let me introduce you to Professor Terra Skywing Riddle." The last name shook through Harry he knew that it could be anyone's last name but linking his eyes to hers they bore her confession into him. She was the wife of Tom Riddle, Lord Voldemort, the Dark Lord and the murderer of Harry's mother and father, the reason his now dead uncle was locked away. The cause of everything bad in his life. Her bold eyes held on his till the potion stung her and angrily she hit at Snape causing him to fluster forward, he gathered himself up again and sat back down. The thing smiled apologetically at him. As Dumbledore took his place again the hall erupted.

"What's Dumbledore doing hiring one of the Lilith?" Seamus demanded.

"What's a Lilith?" Harry asked stupidly hating himself for being so out of touch with the magic world.

"They're a magical creature, half woman half dragon. There creatures of the dark arts and the servants of the dark lord. You see that ring?" Hermione explained Harry starred at the dragon's teeth marking into her skin and nodded back. "Those fangs made her what she is, she would have started off as a witch. It's a type of curse, before she could have been anyone, now she's a monster." Her eyes caught Harry's again and hung with desperation to them a small smile rang out across her face, though her eyes were night blessed there didn't seem to have the harsh tones he had seen staring into the eyes of Voldemort, still he said nothing. Across on the other table the Slytherin were having a crisis, they knew they should be against this monster entering the castle and yet Snape had welcomed her with open arms. Malfoy in particular was finding it hard to tear his eyes from the two of them sitting chatting, but then she seemed at home with all of the teachers apart from professor Trelawney.

"You shall bring curses apon this house. The dead shall walk and living shall fall, you bring with you plague and destruction the four horsemen walk in your stride, before this year is over you shall be..."

"Dead! I know." She rolled her eyes. "Jeez you'd think she'd change her tune wouldn't you. That was exactly what she said to me third year Divination isn't it Severus?" Snape laughed gingerly and said nothing. Harry now was perplexed, she had gone to Hogwarts, it didn't seem possible. There whole meal took a bad turn from that, everybody left early trying to get away from the creature. Harry and Ron wouldn't have her till third on Wednesday with Slytherin. A dark hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach told him that something was going to happen.

The class sat nervously waiting for her to finish writing on the board of course they knew what to expect the whole of the Gryffindor had told them what happened on her first lesson. She turned trying to look bright but strain showed in her eyes. Today she was wearing another strange outfit. Again her right arm was bare from any cloth, the other arm swamped in blood red. The sleeve had a large round hole in it to poke her hand out before trailing down to the floor. Her red outfit was tight showing for the first time the elaborate curves of her body which were by any standard quiet dramatic. The red outfit was in one piece it had a high neck reached about her throat and went down to her thighs in very short shorts. Her legs were bare all the way down to the tiny little boots with a small almost elven curl in the toe. As she turned around it was obvious there was no zip in the back of her outfit, strangely Harry's thought were drawn to the question of how she got in there and where her wings were. That was not the question he was going to ask.

"Ok I'm sure you've heard by now that on the first lesson I let you idiots get out all the insulting questions so that I don't go ballistic and tear each of your heads off by the end of the first week." She smiled sincerely. "Snape's idea." A long curved line of red etched down her right leg and even by the way she walked you could tell that it was weaker.

"I thought all Lilith's were creatures of dark arts how can you be a teacher?" Ron asked.

"Well, that is exactly why I'm your teacher. Who better to train you for defence against the dark arts then a creature capable of dark magic."

"How do you know Snape?" Malfoy asked, she smiled at him broadly catching him of guard she could tell he'd been nursing that question for a while.

"I graduated with him, from Hogwarts back when I was human, for some strange reason that seems to be a popular question! Oh and Draco don't think of running to daddy I happen to know Lucius and your father Ron." She called to him before he could open his mouth. Pleased with herself she gave another crude laugh.

"Who were you?" Hermione asked, her eyes seemed to darken with a sort of inner sorrow that reflected on the black pains of her eyes.

"My name was Angelor Skywing, my family were mostly magical with a few muggles, mostly married in."

Harry rose with the importance of his question, her eyes soften on him and he nearly didn't ask what he had been fighting with for the last few days.

"Are you Tom Riddles wife? Are you Voldemort's wife?" the whole class reeled in the shook of the name, but Terra laughed, longer than normal.

"Voldemort, I don't think he even knows what a twat he sounds like, he's like some little kid giving himself some big bad name. Pathetic. But yes I am married to the man called Tom Riddle." She walked through the first row to Harry's desk and thrust out her hand with delicate care, the dragon ring caught the light and sparkled with sinister glory. "Nice ring heh? We're all his brides."

"I thought that only people who gave themselves willingly can become Lilith?" Ron asked.

"It's true, you must willingly present your ring finger and I did. I did it to save someone who I loved and became such a monster that I may never see them again." She thumped her fist down on the table which happened to be Harry's desk and gave him a look of apology. "Dumbledore made me take a truth potion, he knows I have a bit of a black sense of humour and he was worried that I'd scare you all to death of me and have the council snooping around!" Again she laughed. "Now are we all finished?" The class was silent. "Earlier than normal, good I've been wanting to get on! Please pull out you Lockhart books and lay then on the table in front of you." Looking at her Harry could not believe that she was a fan of the arrogant liar that he knew Lockhart to be. When everyone had then out she tapped on the board and pointed to the words. "This is a protective spell you must master it before we begin, the words are Armous illumous. It's a strong dark magic protection field. Get out your wands and repeat.

"Armous illumous" As always Hermione was the only one who managed to get the spell right first time, she gave a small cry of surprise, her right arm was covered in thick golden metal moulded into a gauntlet and armour to her elbow it was richly decorated but with the ease that she moved around her arm it seemed light. It shone beautifully decorated with diamonds and elaborate ivy detail picked out with silver and bronze.

"Well done Miss Granger I assume?" Hermione nodded dumbly. "That's not an easy spell, 50 points to Gryffindor. Now come on we can't start probably till you all master it."

It took most people five or six times to get it right. Neville was going bright red as his armour faded every time. Slowly Terra walked to his desk extremely worried he looked up at her, she smiled innocently and took his wand from his fingers she looked at it critically. "Wands such clumsy things, I'm almost glad I no longer have to use mine." Sighing she placed it back in his hand. "Now class continue this isn't a show!" The class flinched back to practise and she knelt down by Neville Harry was just in front of him and so listened in as the whole class was trying to in between the calls of Armour Illumous. "Neville, I know that your frightened of me."

"I'm not!" He almost cried out.

"You smell of fear don't deny it." She seemed sad rather than angry. "It's when your afraid that you need this spell. Use all those feelings of need for protection to create the armour. Right now protect your self from me!" Her wings rose from her back horrible crunching and ripping sounds came as her wings tore themselves from her very back, the skin opened and gave birth to the illustrious leathery wings. Blood ran euphorically down her back and with the opening of the wings flung around the room splattering on the stone walls. Neville went white.

"Armous Illumous!" he barely whispered and yet the Golden armour surged up his arm, amber detail on his, Harry looked around all their armour was different, his was imposed with the lion flame with tiny sapphires and rubies. Ron's plated with feather like slides with emeralds twinkling. All different but more perfectly crafted than an armour could even hope to achieve. Terra tucked her wings back in her body and looked sadly at the floor.

"Very good Neville, very good." He voice had a deadness to it and she turned her back on the boy, her outfit which had been split at her shoulder blades seemed to merge back into each other became one once more. She attempted to smile as she turned back to the class but there was something different now. "Now for the fun bit." She pushed her hand through the hole and held her hands in front of her chest and out to the class, she took a moment to gather energy hardly a breaths time then pushed her energy over the class without words of wand. The books in front of them pulled up to the air black graffiti covered the faces of each Lockhart teeth blackened and uni-brows crawled in, some even cruder patterns like that a child might draw on. The books held in front of the students and then fired on them. Just in time armour was risen to deflect the attacks, The shots changed direction and reactions were tested as the shots sped, as the shots hit the golden plates a silver shimmering shield was pressed against with ease. Students go to there feet reflecting the attaches. Neville gave a small cry as he was hit on his knee, a small red X marked on top of his cloak. A few students got these X's, the lessons was nearly over when Terra clapped her hands and the books fell to the floor the scrawls gone. Student picked up the books and put them back into their bags looking at terra expectantly. "Next lesson we'll look at attacks, but good defence everybody. Those that were hit line up so I can de-X you." At least ten students lined up, including Hermione, Malfoy and of course Neville. Malfoy looked at her for a long time as she removed his X.

"Which house were you in?"

"Gryffindor, though I should have been in Slytherin, everyone thought so." Seemingly satisfied Malfoy waited to be cleansed and then left. Harry stood outside with Ron neither of them daring to say anything about to lesson yet as they waited for Hermione. They overheard Neville as he stood in front to her looking worried into her eyes.

"I'm sorry." He whispered she looked at him curiously.

"Thank you." She whispered back.

"Well, I thought she was good!" Hermione stated waiting for their responses as they sat in the common room of the Gryffindor dorms.

"Yeah, we learnt something good and I kinda liked the picture of Lockhart on my book." Ron laughed, his had been particular rude and unflattering.

"I can't trust her. Not if she's had contact with Voldemort. I can't." Hermione and Ron looked at him for along time dual expressions of concern on their faces.

"Harry your not going to do what you always do are you?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, you don't need to sneak about or anything stupid, just keep an eye on her in lessons." Ron suggested. Harry felt flattened, these were his two best friends and it seemed all they did lately was warn him. Was friendly support dead? He nodded as if agreeing knowing that later when they were asleep he would go down and visit the same room in which Quirrell had plotted his death, Lockhart had loved himself, Lupin had helped him and Moody had deceived him. Excusing himself he went to the library, he didn't want sense and reason at this time he wanted blind anger and some answer to the nagging warning in his stomach that he thought would have stopped after the lesson.


End file.
